A Tale of Two Souls
by JadeDragonHawk
Summary: Kurogane is battling to avenge his father's death, fighting his homeland's greatest enemy. When Fai escapes Africa, he finds himself in the middle of a war that threatens to destroy him. K/F, T/Y, S/S
1. Baecula and Syphax

_**This is a new story I've come up with, and I'd be interested to know what people think of it. Whether it's too historical** **or simply uninteresting etc. Also if people feel that the historical points here require explanation either for clarity or interest's sake. Constructive criticism would be appreciated.**  
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><p><em>People whispered in the streets. An overtone of unease surrounded the whole city, and folk spoke of him in hushed murmurs, as though even the mention of his name would bring him down upon their heads, in all his barbarian fury. Few could remember a time when the name of one man could stir such fear in an entire population. <em>

_**Seishiro Barca.**_

_Even now he swept through Hispania, along with his brothers Hasdrubal and Mago, destroying everything in his path, making his way ever closer to the Fatherland, and the Mother City herself. Tales of disaster spread swiftly; his victories at Trebia and Trasimene, how, despite being vastly outnumbered he had turned the battle of Cannae into a disastrous rout; and most recently how he had separated the armies in Hispania, and destroyed them both, along with the two Consuls. It was a catastrophe. The city was left temporarily without leadership, until new Consuls were chosen, and new generals must be selected to return to Hispania. If Seishiro could not be stopped there, then what hope for the Fatherland? _

_No one wanted to go. It was suicidal - no one had been able to stop this demon of combat. No one volunteered... except for one man. Burning with the fresh grief of losing both father and uncle, hungrily eager for revenge and disregarding of his own safety, young in body and years yet already proven in valor and courage, he had witnessed every tragedy except his beloved father's death, and he begged the Senate to let him lead the army in order to gain revenge for his family. His red eyes glowed with such fire that every man who saw them was struck silent, overawed by something they could not understand, and held by it until they could summon the presence of mind to look away. He was only 24 years of age, as yet untried as a general, even though he had proven his bravery ten times over in warfare. But bravery counts for little against such a tactician as Seishiro Barca, and the Senate couldn't afford to lose another battle like Cannae. There was much discussion, and the Senate spoke for a long time behind closed doors. But in the end they let him go. There was no one else._

Two years later, Kurogane sat on a stool, wearing light clothes more suited to the Hispanic climate than the heavy toga, with his normally short hair starting to creep down his neck, and a letter in his hand. Before him was a small writing desk, on which was laid out several maps that were covered with various markings, crossed and recrossed. Outside of the tent various noises filled the air: the metal scraping of men sharpening their swords, pikes and arrows, the occasional whinny of a horse, the faint clatter of dishes from the mess tent; all the sounds, in fact, of an army camp. The present site was not as strategic as he would have liked; while it was close to water and near enough to the forest to allow the building of the customary palisade and ditch, they were down in a valley with ravines on either side of them - not a good place to become trapped. However it was secure enough to protect the forces from any wandering enemy troops, while the main barbarian army at the top of the plateau in front of them. It was well defended and would prove formidable in assaulting, but that was an issue for tomorrow. For tonight, the men could enjoy some peace and safety; in the morning, they would engage in their first all out battle. No more skirmishes, sieges or avoidance tactics - this would be the real thing.

Inside the general's tent, Kurogane sat reading his letter. He had already read it several times, but it felt particularly important to read it tonight, especially if it would be the last thing of home he would ever see. Not that he was planning on dying tomorrow, but you never knew- especially not with Seishiro Barca. At least he wouldn't actually be fighting Seishiro - it would be one of his three generals, Hasdrubal Barco, who'd be leading the army Kurogane would be engaging. At least that's what he hoped. As long as Hasdrubal could be taken out before the other two generals, Kyle and Mago, arrived, then Kurogane could prevent his smaller army from being overwhelmed. But if the battle dragged out... Kurogane shook his head. There was no use in dwelling on it now. It would be decided in the morning. He returned to the letter in his hands. It was from his adopted daughter Sakura, whom he had left with his fiancee, Soma, back in the city.

_Dear Kurogane,_

_I am so glad to hear that you are still alive and well. People say the horridest things here. I heard at the forum, that there were bets placed as to how long you would live for. But your success in capturing Carthago Novo from the barbarians has silenced many of those wagging tongues. _

_Soma is well, and sends her regards. I hope your tribunes are performing to your high standards, and that you have not had to replace any... _At this point Kurogane smiled, always amused by Sakura's subtle attempt to ask after her sweetheart, the young Syaoran. Some times he wondered if he had done the right thing when he had allowed them to become acquainted, but they were so perfect together it seemed a crime to separate them. Unfortunately, Sakura's high lineage meant that Syaoran would have to prove himself in the eyes of the Senate before he could even hope to ask for her hand. Since his birth was plebian, he would have to distinguish himself in war, and probably get himself elected as an aedile before that would happen. But he was a brave kid, and the coming battle would give him plenty of opportunity. After (providing there was an after), Kurogane had every intention of supporting him in the election for quaestor. The boy was honest, and would probably gain a lot of respect in such a position.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by someone entering through the tent flap. The fact that he had entered without announcing himself meant it could only be one person, and Kurogane turned to face his childhood friend and laticlavian tribune, Toya Laelius.

"What do you want?"

Toya grinned at him, not at all intimidated. "What are you doing stuffed away in here? You should be out drinking with the men!"

Kurogane frowned. "I need to go over these maps again. The battle is tomorrow. If this goes wrong..."

"But it's not going to go wrong. Besides, you've been staring at those bloody maps for a week, they're not going to tell you anything new." Perceiving that his friend was still not convinced, Toya added, "Tomorrow is going to be about courage. The only way you can give that to your men is to go out tonight and mingle with them, show them that you're one of them and that you're going to be fighting right along side them."

The young general snorted. "Courage is something you find in yourself, not something that's given to you by other people."

"I think you'll find it's a little of both. Come on, Kurogane. Your soldiers admire you so much - you were the only one brave enough to volunteer for this post. Anyway, it can't hurt."

Grudgingly, Kurogane allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and out of his tent and into the mess hall, where he was greeted by cheers and applause from his men. A seat was instantly produced, and no sooner had he sat down than a flagon of ale was placed in front of him. It was bitter to the taste, but he swallowed it down without even a shudder.

"A toast!" Someone cried; the shout was immediately taken up by the whole room. "A toast, to our good general!"

Kurogane raised his hand and instant silence fell. "A toast," he said, and it rang through the gathered soldiers, "A toast to Victory!"

The next day dawned bright and clear, and the early morning trumpet calls drowned the singing birds with their loud, strident notes splitting the still air and calling the troops to battle. Kurogane assembled his men and issued his orders. The light infantry were to attack the centre of the plateau, on the first step where their enemy counterparts were positioned. Meanwhile the heavy infantry would take advantage of the distraction to scale the steep ravines on either side of the enemy camp, with Syaoran and two other tribunes leading the left side, and Kurogane himself on the right. In the midst of this, Toya would lead the cavalry around behind the enemy, and surprise them in the midst of battle. Every element of this battle would depend upon surprise, and being able to strike when the enemy least expected it. And so it began.

Kurogane kept the heavy infantry hidden inside the camp until the light infantry had joined battle before he lead them out, sticking to the trees to provide themselves with maximum cover. By the time they reached the edge of the plateau, there was already heavy fighting going on. The first wave of soldiers had made their way up the incline to engage in hand to hand combat the barbarians who had been firing down on them with spears and javelins. As far as Kurogane could tell, his side hadn't taken any serious losses.

The ravine was heavy going, as it was steep and difficult to get a foothold on the treacherous ground, while the heavy armour weighted them down and more than once a soldier lost his footing and slipped back down the hill only to be caught by one or more of his comrades. As they approached the top and the ground started to level out a little, the alarm was sounded above them and soldiers began to appear on the rim of the plateau, armed with throwing weapons. Kurogane dug his toes in and put on a burst of speed, and called to his men to follow he burst over the edge of the plateau and was on the enemy before they even knew he was there. In such close quarters, the lightly armed and armoured Iberians had little defense against Kurogane, and as his heavy infantry gained the top of the plateau they began to push the enemy backwards, cutting through the ill-prepared ranks with relative ease. Over the din of battle, they heard shouts of surprise from the left, and Kurogane could assume that Syaoran and his group had also gained the firm ground of the plateau.

All was going well, but then the blades became harder, the opponents became stronger, and the scared Iberians were replaced by fierce Libyans, and all at once the battle got harder. Kurogane narrowly dodged a swipe that would have severed his arm and lashed out with his sword. It bit into the leg of his opponent who stumbled back, giving him some space to catch his breath and glance around. To his right one of his own men was thrown to the ground, an enemy soldier about to impale him. Kurogane snatched up a broken spear and hurled it, piercing the man's heart and killing him instantly. His comrade struggled back to his feet and sent him a shout of thanks, but to the left another of his men fell to the ground, blood soaking from the open wound in his stomach. More enemy came at them; Kurogane gritted his teeth and braced to receive them. His sword was covered in blood, his helmet spotted with flying gore and his armour drenched in a combination of sweat and blood. Even though he had not yet taken a serious blow, the hard climb up the ravine had sapped his strength and he wondered how many more soldiers there could possibly be. He wondered where Toya was, and if he would succeed in bringing the cavalry around the enemy flank. A deep rumble to his left distracted him, and an opponent managed to land a glancing blow on his arm. Although it did not puncture the armour, it was enough to stagger him, and he reeled back, trying to raise his sword in time to ward off the next blow. It was close, but he deflected it and swiftly dispatched the man to the next life. He looked for his next enemy, but the lines had thinned and they seemed to be making way for something else. Turning his head, he saw what it was that had distracted him before. A massive creature was thundering its way towards his troops, taller than two houses and looking heavier than four, with spiked armoured plates on its sides and soldiers on its back armed with throwing weapons. As it came it trumpeted a most unearthly sound - enough to strike terror into the hearts of any man foolish enough to get in its way. Kurogane could not help pausing for an instant to admire the wonder of such a creature. The magnificant Elephantus. They had expected it, of course, had heard tales, even glimpsed them during skirmishes and raids, but this was the first time they had come face to face with one on the battlefield. It was truly an awesome sight.

The creature would, however, decimate his lines if his soldiers did not do what they had been told to do to combat it (and looking at it now he wouldn't really blame them either if they forgot everything and just turned to run). Kurogane knew he had to move fast. He could see more of the creatures emerging further along the plateau, having descended from the higher part where they had been camped. Fortunately Kurogane and his men had had time to gain some flat territory on which to maneuver before Hasdrubal had managed to get them into combat. Kurogane guessed that meant his plan of surprise attack had at least partially succeeded. Sprinting towards his soldiers, he shouted at the top of his voice:

"Break ranks! Assume file formation! Get out of its way!"

The soldiers nearest to him caught his cries and snapped themselves out of their stunned demeanor. Kurogane could see the call being carried up the line as more and more soldiers cleared the path for the huge beast, moving sideways instead of backwards and off the face of the plateau. They seized broken and discarded javelins and spears from the ground, hurling them into the creatures legs and making it bellow with pain and rage.

And then from the left flank came the enemy heavy infantry, fleeing as Toya led the cavalry in a triumphant charge. Trumpets blasted as they turned to charge the elephants, which spooked in alarm at the sudden noise and began to charge back into their own lines. Seeing their comrades in full flight, the rest of the enemy infantry suddenly wavered and many also turned to flee, while those who tried to fight were easily cut down by the reinvigorated soldiers who started to charge along with their cavalry. Kurogane and his forces pursued them to the next incline, where their enemy began to recoup a little as they climbed back up to their base camp. But they drove on forwards and the barbarians continued to retreat. When Kurogane reached the enemy base camp, he found many of his troops already looting the place, while Hasdrubal's army retreated in the distance, in a much more orderly fashion now that the riders had gotten their elephants under control. As he caught his breath, Toya galloped up to him.

"Shall we pursue them?" He asked, holding his reins with a firm hand as his horse pranced and shifted restlessly. Kurogane looked at the fading line of enemy troops, then at his own troops busy plundering anything they could find. He did some rapid calculations in his head and came to a conclusion.

"No. Regroup your cavalry, and count your losses. We'll pitch camp here."

"But Ku.. sir!" he cried in dismay, "We can't just let them get away! They'll head up into the mountains and carry on into Italia!"

"We can't afford to leave ourselves open to attack by Kyle and Mago. If we get caught in between all three armies, we won't stand a chance."

Toya looked for a moment as if he would protest further, but then he turned his horse sharply to the left and booted it away. After he had gone, Kurogane just stood still for a moment, taking in what had just happened. He, Kurogane, the fresh upstart whom the Senate had been forced to select, had driven Hasdrubal, an experienced general with superior forces, from a strong, strategic position. He, whom everyone in the city had thought would be crushed within minutes of engaging the unstoppable barbarian forces, had managed to achieve victory after all. True, Hasdrubal had escaped with his elephants and baggage train intact, but this was the first defeat the enemy had suffered in some time, and hopefully it would damage their confidence, while inspiring his own troops.

Then he looked around, and the memory of what had actually happened came back to him. There were corpses everywhere, whole and dismembered, bloody and disfigured, scattering the ground and staining it red. Broken weapons lay discarded in all directions, and the wounded cried feebly for help as they struggled to stay alive. Kurogane took a deep breath, and knew what his first task must be, now that the fighting was over. He strode over to the nearest group of soldiers, who were standing around looking more than a little dazed.

"Oi you! Who has the most rank here?" He demanded.

They stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment, and then recognition came and they snapped to attention. A young man he vaguely recognised stepped forward. "Me sir. Centurion Rulius sir."

"Right. I want you to start tending to the wounded. Get them out of this bloodbath and move them into the camp so the healers can start working on them."

"Yes sir." The young centurion looked a little uncertain. Kurogane had a feeling he was one of the city kids who joined the army hoping for glory, and bought their rank rather than earned it. Though he supposed he couldn't really talk. "All the way back to the camp, sir?"

"No. We're setting up a new camp where the enemy had theirs. Move the wounded there."

"Yes sir." The soldiers looked relieved that they didn't have to keep climbing up and down the plateau, and slowly began to look around for any nearby wounded. Kurogane was ready to yell at them to get moving already, but he was pleased to see Rulius take control, splitting them up into groups and sending them off in different directions. Kurogane continued to make his way through the rest of his troops, giving out his orders. Some he directed to help with the wounded, others to start making a pile of the dead bodies so they could be burnt with honour. It was a little difficult to organise those solders who were looting the enemy camp, but Kurogane was taking no nonsense from them. Everything edible was to be set aside for the cooks, and everything valuable was piled up to be shared out among those who had earned it. Once he found the cavalry again, he ordered them to go back down to their old camp, and start the transfer of everything up the plateau. Since everything was already packed up, it wouldn't take that long, but the most important thing was for the healers to get to work as soon as possible.

Despite his soldiers' weariness, Kurogane commanded them to build a palisade around the camp, spurring them on by taking an axe himself and chopping away with them. They responded by starting a competition to see who could work the fastest, and the good humour and euphoria that came from their victory carried them through. By the time night fell, the army was solidly entrenched, most of the wounded had been patched up (including enemy wounded whom Kurogane had insisted on taking as prisoners of war - he hated executing defenseless men) and dinner was being cooked. Everyone was prepared to spend the entire night drinking to celebrate, and Kurogane had given them several barrels of ale from the stores. Over the next few days they would resupply, repair weapons and armour, and the booty would be shared out as Kurogane received reports from all his officers as to any daring feats of bravery. And finally a report would have to be sent to the Senate. It would be a lot of writing and a lot of bother, but Kurogane wasn't too concerned about it yet. For tonight, he was going to celebrate.

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><p>Fai hated Africa. It was hot, dry, windy, and the sand. Oh yes, the sand. Fai could have written a book on all the different ways it found to annoy you. It got into your clothes, your food, your bed, your hair, your ears and your eyes. It blew up in massive sandstorms and blocked out all light, screeching like a mad demon and claiming the lives of all it touched. It absorbed the scorching African sun, burning the soles of your feet and shimmering into mirages that could get you into big trouble if you didn't know for certain that no, there is no watering hole here, diving into that sparkling blue pond will only get you back into that bloody sand. Fai hated the sand.<p>

This was mainly why he stayed indoors all day, remaining in the shady comfort of the palace. Not to mention if he had gone outside during those hours when the sun burnt down from its throne in the heavens, his delicate pale skin would have fried in seconds. That was another thing Fai hated. His skin. He often thought that his skin was to blame for many of his misfortunes. If it wasn't so pale, so delicate, so _unusual_ and almost exotic, then he wouldn't be in this mess. Not that things hadn't been bad before the slave traders had got their hands on him, but at least he hadn't been in Africa. _Africa_, of all places. Now he had this... this mark, on his shoulder. He rubbed it self consciously, shivering at the remembered pain of the brand carving itself into his flesh. He never really understood why Ashura had wanted the brand on his shoulder - most slaves were marked on the hand, arm or face, so they could be easily identified, especially if they tried to run away. Much as he loved Ashura, he found it hard to believe the king had wanted to spare him pain, or make it easier for him to escape. Ashura was gentle but not kind. No, never kind. Most likely it was just so it didn't mar his pretty features. Ashura always liked to look at him.

Fai was interrupted from his thoughts by one of the palace guards, an older man with the dark skin and black eyes common to his tribe, the Masaesyli. Fai couldn't recall his name.

"His majesty, King Syphax, demands your presence, slave."

"Thank you." He wondered what Ashura wanted this time. Surely it was too early as yet for... Well... He preferred not to think of it. He would obey, of course, but all things going well, this would be the last time.

Fai entered the royal chamber with the same feeling he always did; a sinking terror mixed with hope, wondering which mood Ashura happened to be in. He kept his eyes on the ground as he knelt before the king and bent his head to the floor, only daring to glimpse the king's face as he raised his head.

"Rise." Ashura's voice gave little away, but he smiled gently at Fai. "Come forward."

Fai stepped slowly up to the throne, and kneeled at the king's feet. Ashura placed his hand on his blond hair, and Fai bent his head in submission.

"It has come to my attention that you have neglecting your Graecian studies," the king began, a disapproving note creeping into his voice. "I hope I do not have to remind you of the value of such pursuits, and your own fortune in being able to pursue them, _again_."

Biting his lip, Fai swallowed and forced down the urge to protest. Only a few days ago Ashura had demanded that he put all his energy into studying the Persian arts. "Forgive me, Majesty."

"Very well." Ashura seemed satisfied with this. "There are new books in the library that were brought back from the raids on Massylia, including some written by Philon of Larissa. You will want to read them immediately."

"Of course, Majesty. You are too kind."

Fai knew he'd said the wrong thing instantly, and Ashura frowned at him. "No, Fai. Not kind. Kindness is a fatal flaw, something I have tried to make you understand time and time again. Do I need to teach you this lesson again?"

He bowed his head again, and tried to keep a tremor from his voice as he replied. "No, your Majesty. Forgive me, I meant no disrespect."

Ashura was silent for a moment before waving his hand dismissingly.

"You are excused."

Fai left the chamber as fast as he could, unable to get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth that always came from disappointing Ashura. No matter how demanding the king might be, he had still taken him away from the slave traders and allowed him the freedom of the palace, even though he was still technically a slave. He had access to Ashura's massive library, and the philosophers, logicians and historians who taught the children of Ashura's nobility. It was a generosity he would probably never be able to repay, and that made what he was about to do all the more painful. But Fai owed a deeper debt even than this, and the choice was not his to make.

Fai spent what was left of the day in the library, paging through the new books, aware that Ashura had more than likely commanded one or more of the guards to keep an eye on him and make sure he was doing what he'd been told. When the sun faded behind the horizon, he replaced the tomes on their shelves and retired to his own chamber. The entire palace should be at dinner about now, except for a small contingent of guards. He certainly saw no one on the way to his room. When he got there, he found Tomoyo waiting for him. She had been sitting demurely on his bed, but as soon as he pulled the curtain across the doorway she was on her feet, staring at him with anxious eyes.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Her nervousness was evident in her voice. "If we.. if we do this... well.. there's no turning back... If we get caught, he'll have us killed."

"I know." Fai was quietly determined as he gathered two small bags from behind his bed. "We won't get another opportunity like this again. It's now or never."

He turned to face her. "The question is, are _you_ sure? You could stay here. No one would ever know you helped me - you wouldn't be blamed."

She hesitated and drew in a long, slow breath, her eyes flickering over the floor, the bed, her feet, before she looked up at him again. This time her face was determined. "No. If you're going, I'm coming too. Besides, I want to get out of here just as much as you do."

Fai smiled at her, relieved. He hadn't wanted to leave her behind. "Good. Do you have your things? And the..."

"Yes. It's all here." Now business-like, Tomoyo produced three bundles. Two she set aside, but the third she emptied on the bed. It was an assortment of clothing, and she selected one and held it up for him to inspect. It was a nobleman's robe, styled in the Greek fashion, intricately embroidered on both sides.

Fai grinned appreciatively. "Wow Tomoyo! This is incredible! How long did it take to make these?"

"A while. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to get my hands on all the materials I needed." She picked up some more of her handiwork and tossed it at him. "Now go and get changed. We haven't got all night."

"Well if you'd like to use the screen, my lady." He gestured smilingly towards the wooden object. She tossed her head but went anyway. Fai swiftly dressed himself in the new outfit. It felt strangely nostalgic to be wearing a nobleman's clothes again, something he found rather strange as it hadn't been something he'd missed during his time as a slave. As soon as he'd finished, Tomoyo whirled out from behind the screen, looking every inch the Graecian lady. "Are you ready?" she asked him.

"As I'll ever be. You look nice." he added. "Just make sure that your sleeves cover your slave mark. If anyone sees it, we're done for."

"I know, I know." She tugged the sleeves down self-consciously. "I thought I'd made them extra long, but I didn't get a chance to try it on. Here." She handed him a long black cloak. "Don't take it off until we're out of the palace. Where are we meeting this Sorata guy again?"

"Outside the front gate."

"And how are we getting there?" She demanded.

"We're going to walk out the gate. He'll think we're too suspicious otherwise. We have to look authentic."

"But the guards will recognise us!" Tomoyo was starting to panic. "And what if we run into the real Lord and Lady Phylamon? We'll never be able to pull this off."

"They're at Ashura's banquet, remember? And there's no way the guards will recognise us dressed like this. Unless you happen to know any of them personally...?"

"Well no, but... You look so distinctive! No one has blond hair around here! And your skin is so pale!"

"Except Lord Phylamon." He reminded her. "Blonds are common in Greece. As for my skin... I brought some ash to darken it, and hopefully it'll be dark enough that they won't notice." As he spoke he drew a bottle from his discarded clothes and began to apply the contents to his face, neck and arms. Tomoyo watched anxiously and when he had finished even she had to admit that he didn't look so distinctive anymore. "But I still think this is suicidal."

"But hopefully it'll work. And it's the only opportunity we're going to get."

They hurried silently through the halls, staying out of the light of the flickering torches that occasionally dotted walls. The palace seemed deserted, but they could hear shouts of revelry coming from both the ballroom and the guard house, and assumed that the inner palace guards were having their own banquet. They reached the courtyard without incident, and huddled together in the doorway, steeling themselves for their next move.

Fai took of the hood of his cloak and unfastened it so it fell behind him, motioning for Tomoyo to do this same. He drew a deep breath, and presented his arm to her. "This is it. Shall we, my lady?"

She giggled nervously and took his arm. "Certainly, my lord."

They made their way sedately across the courtyard, forcing themselves to move at a gentle pace. Fai's stomach was clenching itself into knots, and Tomoyo's hand was trembling on his arm. Every step they took he expected to hear someone calling their names, shouting for them to _stop, right there!_

He was almost surprised when they reached the gate, and the guard, who had been lounging on some upturned barrels, stood up and came to meet them.

"My lord and lady." The guard's tone was not quite respectful. Fai reflected that Ashura's palace had never been too fond of foreigners, despite their king's love of all kinds of cultures. "Where would you be wandering to this time of night?"

"We are going to meet the caravan, of course." Fai replied calmly. "So if you'd kindly open the gates, we'll be on our way."

"Caravans don't travel at this time of night." The guard wasn't buying it. "Why aren't you at the banquet?"

"We asked the caravan to wait, since it was important that we catch the ferry at Tunes in a few days time, and we needed to complete our business here. Not that it's any of your concern," Fai was suddenly cold. "but to set your mind at rest, I will ask King Ashura to come down here and confirm your orders." He turned and made to walk away, but the guard hastily called him back.

"No, no, my lord, no need for that. Forgive my impudence. I'll open the gate immediately. King Syphax doesn't need to know about this." The man was half pleading, and Fai nodded his head, satisfied, and the guard breathed a sigh of relief. He hurried to open the gate for them, terrified, as Fai had known he would be, by the thought of getting on Ashura's bad side. The gate swung open and Fai strode confidently through it, gently pulling a dazed Tomoyo who had remained perfectly silent and now responded weakly and stumbled along with him. The guard bowed to them as they passed, and wished them a happy journey before springing to close the gate behind them. Fai breathed out a heavy sigh as it swung closed and forced himself not to start leaping and dancing and shouting at the top of his voice. He could see the caravan a short way off. They had set up a small fire, but were obviously waiting to get underway since the all camels were loaded with various goods and bundles.

It was one of the usual trade caravans, but it was being run by a new leader; a newcomer in the nomadic trade leader ranks, who had never met Fai or Tomoyo, unlike the rest of caravan leaders. It had been to much of an opportunity to pass up: this, plus the visitors, Lord and Lady Phylamon, bearing a passable resemblance to the two of them, made for a perfect opportunity to escape from Ashura's clutches. He'd had to break into Ashura's treasury to get the money to pay the caravan and the ferry out of Africa, but so far the theft had gone unnoticed, and probably would until their absence was discovered. And hopefully by that time they would be far away.

They had stood still too long, Fai realised, as he saw a man detach himself from the caravan group and come towards them, his figure fading into the darkness of the desert as he left the firelight. Fai could still make out his silhouette as his eyes adjusted to the thin moonlight, and he walked towards him, almost dragging Tomoyo after him. When they came close enough he waved to them and turned back again, beckoning them to follow him. As they came into the light of the fire Fai could see the man had an open, friendly face and a welcoming grin.

"You must be Lord and Lady Phylamon, I guess?"

Fai nodded. "Yes. Are you Sorata?"

"That's me, alright. Are you ready to leave now? I don't like traveling too late at night, but we really should make _some_ distance tonight."

"We are very ready to leave." Fai gave the man a tired smile. "I apologise for causing so much trouble. It's very kind of you to wait for us."

Sorata waved him off. "Oh, no trouble, no trouble at all! Now, are you and your lady accustomed to riding camel-back? We've got a couple of quiet ones for you, they won't give you any grief. Very mild mannered."

"Thank you." Fai replied gratefully. "We have both ridden a few times, but I fear neither of us are expert camel riders."

Sorata chuckled. "Well don't you worry. I'll be looking out for you, so just give me a wave if you have any problems. Now, let's get you mounted up. Is that all the baggage you have?"

He gestured to the four small bags the pair were carrying. Fai nodded, wondering if he should have bought more. Not that he had any more to bring. "We like to travel light."

"A good policy." Sorata said approvingly. "I wish more nobles took the same approach." He picked up the bags and led them over to two camels picketed on the edge of the group. He fasted the bags to the baggage straps and between them he and Fai lifted Tomoyo into the saddle. She picked up the reins carefully.

"Alright there, little lady?" Sorata asked her cheerfully.

She blinked at him for a moment, before smiling sweetly. "Yes, thank you sir."

He grinned back at her and then turned to Fai. "Need any help, my lord?" Fai shook his head and Sorata nodded and gave him a clap on the shoulder. "I'll wake the others up then, and we'll be underway." He strode over to the fire and started calling for the men seated around its warmth to get to their feet and get moving. They did so a little grudgingly, but seemed cheerful nonetheless as they bustled around.

Fai put his hand on Tomoyo's arm. "Are you alright?"

She smiled down at him, a little shaken but a glimmer of triumph in her eyes. "We did it, Fai! I can't believe it. But you told that guard where we're going - won't Ashura just sent some horsemen to get us back?"

"I told him we were going to Tunes." Fai said, grinning mischievously. "But this caravan is going to Tenga. So Ashura can send as many troops to Tunes as he pleases - he won't find us. We'll cross the strait of Mons Calpe into Hispania, and from there - who knows! Italia, Greece - even Persia. We could go anywhere. We're free, Tomoyo, free!"

Tomoyo was grinning like a maniac, but she had enough presence of mind to tell him to keep his voice down. "You'll get us caught before we're 100 yards away from the palace, you idiot." Fai just laughed and mounted his camel. Around them the rest of the caravan was starting to move, and they moved along with it, among some 30 other camels, although most did not have riders. There were also about 20 men including Sorata, some of whom led strings of camels and others, obviously guards, walked on the edges of the caravan. As they made their way into the silent desert, Fai took one last look over his shoulder at the palace behind them, before turning around and urging his camel forwards with a little more force than necessary. He did not look back again.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading :)<strong>


	2. The Siege of Gadir

**Chapter number two. Here is where things start to get interesting.**

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><p>The journey to Tenga took several weeks. It was a long trip, but Sorata was well prepared and they never ran out of water. They would start to travel at an early hour in the morning, long before the sun touched the horizon, and they would take shelter somewhere when the heat became unbearable and sleep until late afternoon, when they would resume walking. They did not stop again until well into the night, so Fai and Tomoyo had to get used to getting most of their sleep during the hottest hours of the day. Once they had adjusted to the new routine they found the journey quite enjoyable. Sorata was a pleasant companion who knew better than to ask too many questions, but instead told them exciting tales of his own life in the desert. His favourite tale, which they heard many times without complaint, was how he had met his beautiful wife Arashi and won her over. Fai privately thought the man was obsessed, but it seemed a good thing to obsess over, as obsessions go.<p>

All in all Fai was surprised at how well this escape plan had worked out. For something that had been concocted on the spur of the moment, they had (so far) forgotten nothing; he had been particularly worried that someone would intercept his message to Sorata on behalf of 'Lord and Lady Phylamon', or that Sorata would deny his request for passage to Tenga. But everything was going according to plan, and during the entire journey they never even glimpsed any of Ashura's troops.

They reached Tenga a day before the ferry was due to sail, and went directly to procure passage from the captain, and then a place to stay for the night. They had no trouble, as the Phoenician port was accustomed to many different people passing through, and no one thought to question them. The owner of the inn where they stayed was indeed surprised that they had no servants with them, but Fai managed to come up with a suitable excuse. They spent most of the day recovering from the desert, and enjoying making use of the inn's baths. The next morning they were aboard the ferry to Gadir.

Tomoyo had never been on a boat before, since the slave caravan that had brought her to King Syphax had travelled down the east coast of the Mesogeian Sea on foot. She enjoyed the short journey very much, and spent most of it hanging over the ship's railings, occasionally getting her face soaked in sea spray. Fai watched her with amusement, wondering if he'd acted the same way on his first experience with a boat. Considering the circumstances, probably not.

There were a lot of different people on board, many of them friendly, and Fai struck up several conversations with them. One was an elderly mother who was returning to her grown children in Hispania for her daughter's second marriage - apparently the first husband had been killed in battle. This was the first hint Fai got to the turmoil currently taking place in what he had previously believed to be the relatively calm province of Hispania. But no. When he asked around, people were more than willing to tell him tales of Seishiro Barca, whose name was enough to terrify the bravest men, and who had cut through the Senate's finest legions without defeat for several years. But there was a new general in Hispania now - just a young man, but already he had proven his worth in battle with his successful siege of Novo Carthago. And just a few weeks ago he had defeated one of Seishiro's brothers, Hasdrubal, in a display of bravery and cunning at the Battle of Baecula. Hispania was currently a war zone, with fighting constantly raging between this new general and Seishiro's other two generals, Kyle and Mago.

Needless to say, Fai was considerably disturbed by this news, and inquired as to whether Gadir was still a safe port to land in. He was informed that it was still, in name, Phoenician, although Seishiro had used it as base to invade Hispania. The city itself was controlled by his soldiers, but it was well within their territory and out of the firing line, and they had made no attempt to disrupt civilian travel to and from Tenga. His immediate fears allayed, Fai was curious as to this new general. Who was he, and why was he here when such a task would normally have been set to the consuls? And more importantly, why on earth had he not heard about this in Algeria? The target he selected was an important looking middle aged man, who seemed to Fai the likeliest to be able to give him the most information. Striking up a conversation was easy enough; the man seemed bored and happy to chat to a handsome young man. Fai directed the conversation carefully to the current events, and who it was routing this Seishiro Barca's generals. The answer convinced him that, however anxious Ashura had been to improve his education, he had told him nothing about current events.

"Oh, you mean the young Kurogane? He's the son of the late Consul, Publius Cornelius. Quite the capable general, as I'm sure you've heard. The Battle of Baecula was quite a victory for us. The first one in a long time, too. A pity he couldn't actually destroy Hasdrubal's army, but at least the force that's coming over the Pyrenees has been significantly reduced."

"What happened to his father?"

The man shook his head grimly. "Killed in battle. Along with his brother Gnaius Cornelius, the other Consul and most of his army in Hispania. It was a disaster, especially coming right on the heels of Cannae. That's why any victory is a gods-send at the moment."

Fai widened his eyes in appreciation. "Wow. Quite a feat then, to succeed where both your father and uncle failed. I suppose he considers it revenge." He smiled brightly.

His companion grinned in reply. "If it was, you wouldn't think it. Kid's got a cool head on him - you need it when fighting those barbarians. Especially the elephants. I suppose you've seen the creatures if you've come from Algeria, but I doubt you've faced them in battle. I can assure you they are a most formidable sight."

"You'd be surprised..." Fai murmured under his breath. The man gave him a questioning glance, and he laughed it off and adroitly changed the subject. "Kurogane... That's an unusual name, am I right? Not Italian, surely."

"No, it isn't. Supposedly his parents had some kind of Eastern influence. Probably Persian. There's too much of that Oriental/Graecian nonsense in the forum these days."

"You are not a fan of Graecian art?"

"Not in general." The man looked him over and gave him a lewd grin. Fai repressed the urge to shiver. "But I'll make an exception for you, if you'd care to.. stay with me tonight...?"

Fai laughed uneasily. He hadn't been expecting such a crude and straightforward advance. "Forgive me, sir, but my _wife_ and I have rather urgent business in Gadir. And if you'll excuse me, I should go to her. It was nice to meet you!" He was on his feet before he had finished speaking, and walked swiftly in search of Tomoyo. The man called after him.

"The name's Cato - if you change your mind."

Fai didn't look back and kept walking. He had received many 'offers' of a similar kind, and although they didn't really affect him much any more, that didn't mean he enjoyed them. He found Tomoyo more or less where he had left her, leaning over the ship's prow. He tapped her shoulder and she turned to smile at him, but the smile quickly faded at his expression.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Did you know there was a war going on in Hispania?"

"What?" Tomoyo exclaimed. Her head went up in alarm, like a startled deer. "Are you sure? I mean... um.. How did you find out? Is all of Hispania at war?"

"Shhh. Keep your voice down." Fai glanced around surreptitiously. "I talked to some of the passengers. Apparently it's been going on for years now. So Ashura never told you?"

"Why would _he_ have told me?" Tomoyo was frankly incredulous. "I don't think he ever even looked at his normal slaves."

"Sorry, I meant... you never heard anything in palace gossip?"

"Nothing that really stood out... There always seemed to be a war on somewhere - like fighting Prince Masinissa or something. But I guess the people who would have really known were the guards, and nobody talks to them - not if they could help it... Why is this so important anyway?"

Fai hesitated. "I just... don't really understand how we could have not heard anything about this until now."

"Well, the Masaesyli in general don't really care what happens on the other side of the Mesogeian. I think a more important question is, why is this ferry still operating? Is it just going to deliver us into the hands of a blood-thirsty pack of savages?"

"Apparently Gadir is still technically Phoenician, although Seishiro Barca used it as an entrance point to get his army into Hispania. But it should still be safe enough to land in." Fai smiled reassuringly. "After that, as long as we manage to stay in the territory of one side or the other, we should be fine. It's crossing the border lines that's dangerous. Hopefully we can get out of Hispania quickly and safely."

Tomoyo agreed doubtfully. "How are we going to do that?"

"We'll figure it out when we reach land. The locals will probably be able to show us a good route to take. Judging from all these people aboard, it can't be too dangerous."

"That's true." She shook her head disbelievingly. "How can these people be so calm? Don't they know they're sailing into a war zone? Or does it happen so often that they can be complacent about it?"

"Maybe it does." Fai reminded her. "We've lived in Africa for most of our lives. We don't know much about how this world functions, only what we've heard at the palace."

"But.. but I thought that the Numidians didn't like northerners because they _didn't_ fight. I thought they were supposed to be peaceful and civilised!"

"So did I. But..." Fai thought about it for a moment. "We really only heard about Greece and Italia. I don't remember much about Hispania - maybe it's different from the others."

Tomoyo nodded slowly. "I hope so."

Just then they were interrupted by a cry of _'Land Ahead!' _The other passengers all took heed of this cry, and began to collect their various belongings. Fai checked to make sure he still had his two small bundles, while Tomoyo did the same. Then they both walked over to the boat's railings to get their first glimpse of Hispania.

The mountain rose slowly out of the sea before them. The first impression was of the gleaming white rocks that lined the steep western cliffside; as they drew closer the town at its base could be seen. Made of white stone, for a while it seemed to blend into the mountain behind it, but at closer range the shining walls and towers became distinguishable, reflecting the afternoon sun into their eyes and blinding them for a moment. Neither Fai nor Tomoyo had seen Hispania before, and the sight held them speechless as the boat sailed nearer and nearer to the coast. But this was only Gibraltar, and they sailed past the town.

Up along the coast they traveled. It took another full hour before they came within sight of Gadir, the long sandbar reaching far out into the ocean. Gadir was a large place, and beyond the city walls were many roofs of many houses. When they approached the docks, men began to bustle around with mooring lines on shore. On board the crew furled the sails and prepared to lower the anchor. The rowers in the galley bent their oars backwards to slow the vessel's momentum, and they glided into the docks as the captain guided the ship into position with the steering paddles.

Mooring lines were thrown aboard, and the ship was made secure to the docks and the anchor thrown down. Then the ramps were slid across and fastened on both sides. Finally the captain called for all passengers to disembark. It didn't look like a city worried about a war raging outside their walls, Fai thought, as he and Tomoyo made their way down the docks with the other passengers and into the city itself. It had been a long time since he had walked through a civilized town; the Masaesyli lived in tents, when not at Ashura's palace. Tomoyo stared wide-eyed - she had never seen so many houses in her life. Fai steered her firmly through the streets, avoiding the stares of the locals, in search of an inn that did not look seedy and disreputable. It was thus employed that they were accosted by a patrolling soldier, who looked them up and down with a sneer and demanded to know who they were.

"Lord and Lady Phylamon." replied Fai pleasantly.

"I haven't seen you around before." The guard glared at them suspiciously.

"We have just arrived from Tenga, and are looking for a suitable place at which to stay. I don't suppose you could direct us to somewhere?"

"I'll 'direct' you alright. In fact, I'll take you straight to the city prison. You can stay there."

"Whatever for?" gasped Tomoyo in horror. "We haven't done anything wrong!"

"We've got strict orders to hold any suspicious folks, especially if they're foreign." The guard smiled at her in a way that reminded Fai of the man on the boat. "But I'll make a little deal with you, little lady. You come with me for a while, and we'll pretend this never happened."

Tomoyo opened her eyes wide in fright, backing away from him. Fai stepped in front of her, narrowing his eyes at the guard.

"I don't believe you have any right to hold us. Why don't you just go on your way, soldier, before I report you to your commanding officer."

The guard put his hand on the sword at his side. "If you want to be that way..."

"Well I never!"

All three turned to the new speaker. She was a middle-aged woman of sizable proportions, with a homely face currently twisted in a scowl. She advanced towards the guard threateningly, holding a rolling pin out before her.

"How dare you, you barbarian? Chasing away all the customers, and harassing these poor people. You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"

The guard seemed a little disheartened by this new attack. "Keep your hair on woman. I've got a job to, I have."

"Well you can go and do it somewhere else! Go on, get out of here."

Rather to Fai's surprise, he obeyed her, reluctantly and grudgingly, shaking his fist as he went and shouting back, "You haven't heard the last of this!"

The woman watched him go for a moment, and then turned to Fai and Tomoyo. Now that she wasn't scowling, they could see she had a cheerful smile and twinkling eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, thanks to you." Fai told her. "Are all the guards around here so... suspicious?"

"I'm afraid so." She replied. "It's been like that ever since Seishiro Barca came through here, years ago. You must be new here, I suppose?"

"We certainly are." Fai smiled. "We're actually looking for somewhere to stay. I don't suppose you could recommend an inn or something?"

"Why, dear, I own an inn myself. Why don't you come back with me, and you can tell me what it is you're doing here in Gadir."

They followed her around the corner, where they found her inn. It was a pleasant looking place, with small pots of flowers hanging from the eaves. They entered into the common room, which contained various tables and chairs where several people were seated, either eating or talking to each other.

The woman led them to a table in the corner, away from the others, seated herself and motioned for them to do the same. "I am Madam Juana."

"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Fai smiled charmingly. "We are Lord and Lady Phylamon. I must thank you again for such a heroic rescue." He smiled at her.

"Oh, think nothing of it. I always take an opportunity to put those guards in their place. But how to you come to Gadir? You are Greek, yes?" He nodded, and she continued, "So what are you doing over here?"

"We left Greece several years ago on a trip to Egypt. We decided to take the long way home through Algeria, but ended up trapped there due to the tribal wars. I'm sure you know how it is - the caravans won't travel, every tribe thinks you're spying on them for another... We finally made it to Tenga only to discover there's been a war raging here as well."

The landlady's eyes were wide in sympathy, and she exclaimed, "Oh your poor children! Trapped in Africa, among such awful savages! What you must have suffered!"

Tomoyo smiled at her. "It was terrible, but we survived it, mostly thanks to a brave caravan leader who managed to get us out."

"You must be so brave." The lady sighed. "And now you find yourself caught up in all of this."

"Precisely." Fai agreed. "So we had hoped - if it was no trouble, of course - that you would be able to give us some advice. If you knew of a safe way out of Hispania and into Italia, from where we can get home to Greece."

"Oh of course!" she exclaimed. "Firstly, of course, you must stay here and rest for a day. There is plenty of time - we are in no danger here. Once my son returns, he will be able to show you a safe route to take."

"Thank you." said Tomoyo gratefully. "You are very kind."

"Nonsense." She said briskly. "Why, it just about breaks my heart to think of you poor things, out there all alone. Now, what would you like first? A bite to eat, or a bath?"

"A bath, please." They all three rose from their seats and Juana began to usher them upstairs, when they were startled by shouts from outside. The sound was faint at first, but grew louder and seemed to be approaching rapidly towards them. Madam Juana looked puzzled, and took a few steps towards the door, when suddenly a young woman burst through it, her face frantic. She gasped for breath for a moment.

"He's here!"

The occupants of the inn, who had been frozen in surprise at her sudden appearance, began to cry out at this.

"Who's here?"

"What's going on?"

"What is it?"

"It's him. General Kurogane. His army is at the gates!"

Everyone leapt to their feet, all shouting and exclaiming at once. For a moment it seemed that chaos would reign, but Madam Juana called for silence. Fai seconded her cry, and after a few minutes calm fell again. The occupants of the inn all turned to look at Fai, Tomoyo and Juana. Once he could hear his own voice, Fai asked the young woman,

"Has he made any demands? Are you sure we're under attack?"

"Y.. yes I th-think so," she stammered, "the soldiers are preparing to resist. They've sent out messengers to Generals Kyle and Mago for assistance."

"Too bad." said Madam Juana, "It would have been nice to get rid of these savages. They've been very bad for business around here."

"Maybe General Kurogane will defeat the soldiers." offered Tomoyo.

"Didn't he capture Novo Carthago?" added Fai.

"He did," admitted Juana, "But Gadir is well defended, better built, and a whole different story. Most likely they'll be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive, and we'll just have to deal with all the clean up afterwards." She frowned. "Sieges are so destructive."

"What should we do?" Asked the young woman.

"There's nothing much we can do." Juana replied. "We just have to wait it out. It's best not to be out on the streets though. You should go home to your family. Make sure they're all safe. As for you two," she turned to Fai and Tomoyo, "I'll get you a bath and some food, and then we can see how things are progressing."

Half an hour later, Fai and Tomoyo were seated at a table, eating bread and hot soup. The hot baths had been pleasant, but it was hard to be relaxed when they knew that an army was outside the gates, hammering to get in. Madam Juana was confident that the soldiers would hold the city (much to her disappointment), but Fai could not be so certain. He tried however, to be positive, if only for Tomoyo's sake. But after about another hour they started hearing screams and panicked shouts outside, and both of them began to grow more anxious. Eventually Fai could not stand it any longer, and he rose from his chair.

"What are you doing?" asked Tomoyo, strain evident in her voice.

"I'm going to find out what's going on."

"You can't do that! It's too dangerous!"

"It's better than staying here."

"But we should stay together! I'll come with you..."

"No!" Fai replied firmly. "You have to stay here, where it's safe. I'll be back soon, I just want to find out what's happening. The more information we have, the better our decisions will be."

Tomoyo would have replied, but Juana spoke before her. "That's a good idea." Again Tomoyo tried to protest, but she added, "Stay here, miss. I'm going to barricade the inn, and I'll need help. I'm sure your young man can look after himself."

Tomoyo didn't look very happy, but she put up no more resistance, and Fai slipped out the door as Juana began to give orders for the piling up of tables and chairs.

The streets were empty of people, but he could hear the fighting from the walls, and he made his way towards it. He did not get far before he found two soldiers coming towards him down the street, swords out and carrying torches. Fai stared at them for a moment, trying to figure out which side they were from, but they came straight at him. One swung at him, he dodged swiftly and got out of range. He couldn't see the town's emblem on their uniform, and guessed they must be the invaders. He backed up carefully, holding up his hands to show they were empty.

"Hey, I'm just a traveller! I'm not on anybody's side - no need to fight!"

They said nothing, just followed him with swords at the ready, flaming torches in their other hands, backing him into an alley way. Fai glanced behind him to find there was no way out, but he did see a broom leaning against a wall. As the soldiers continued to approach, eyes cold and unforgiving, he backed slowly towards it until he felt his back press against cold stone. He reached out with his right hand, never taking his eyes off the soldiers, and grasped the broom's wooden handle. Then in one smooth move he dived forwards, ducking under one man's sword and knocking the other out cold with the ease of long practice. Seconds later, the other also lay at his feet, unconscious. The torches lay on the ground, and afraid they would set the nearby houses on fire, Fai threw them into a nearby horse trough. They extinguished with a sizzling sound and a cloud of smoke.

Worried about what was happening at the wall, Fai took off towards it at a run. Again, he didn't get far. More soldiers were coming, swords drawn, all holding torches. Fai slipped into the shadows, confused. That was, until he saw the flames rising in the distance. Fiery peaks were beginning to climb over the rooftops near the city wall, and terrified screams echoed through the air. Fai heard the sound of smashing glass nearby - he turned in time to see a soldier throw a second torch through the window of a house. Smoke immediately started to billow through the broken glass.

Fai darted from his hiding place and took off back towards the inn. Some soldiers followed him, and he heard them shouting behind him, but he lost them swiftly in the back streets. Unfortunately, he was also lost, and finding the inn again proved much harder than he had anticipated. There were soldiers everywhere, and more than once he had to wait in hiding for them to pass. From what he could tell, at least half the city was now on fire. People ran past him, screaming and crying. They fled the fire, but ran into the soldiers, who murdered them instantly, cutting them down ruthlessly with their swords. Fai took to yelling "Stay away from the soldiers!" whenever he ran into someone. He tried to ask for directions, but no one would stop long enough to listen. Terrified people ran one way and then another, trapped between fire and the sword.

As Fai passed one house, the desperate cries of a child made him pause. They came from the second floor of what looked like a bakery. Although on fire, it was still relatively intact, and this was the reason that Fai decided to try his luck. He kicked the unlocked door open and dashed through. Inside smoke was filling up the room, and he put his hand over his mouth and nose. The child's cries were coming from up stairs, and he made his way towards them. The smoke was thinner up there, but he could feel the heat of the flames growing nearer. He called out to the child, but broke down coughing as smoke entered his lungs. Fortunately the child seemed to hear him, because she poked her head tentatively around a doorpost. Fai beckoned to her, still doubled over coughing, and she ran to him, clutching his tunic and hiding her face against him. Together they clambered down the stairs and out into the street. They got out before the fire spread into the main downstairs room, but as they stood outside together, gasping for air, the flames began to lick at the walls. The little girl clung to Fai, sobbing uncontrollably. He bent down, trying to comfort her.

"Where is your mother?"

"I.. I d-don't know..." She cried.

Fai glanced around, unsure of what to do, but luckily the decision was taken out of his hands. A woman ran towards them, crying something incoherent. The little girl recognised her instantly.

"Mother!" She ran into the woman's arms, who embraced her tightly. She turned to Fai, tears running down her face.

"Thank you, thank you..."

Fai interrupted her without ceremony. "It was nothing, really. But you've got to get out of the city. Now! And stay away from the soldiers!"

She nodded, and started to move away. Fai remembered what he was doing in the first place, and called after her,

"You don't happen to know where Madam Juana's inn is, do you?"

She gestured to a street across the road, and he took off towards it. Sure enough, he found himself on the right street. As he approached his destination, he slowed to a walk.

The inn was on fire, flames climbing up the wall and raging over the roof. Fai yelled several times for Tomoyo and Juana, but got no response. He tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge, and he remember they had been barricading it when he'd left. In desperation he wrapped his already singed cloak around his arm and smashed the window. He recoiled for a moment from the surge of heat from inside. Then he took a deep breath and threw himself through the window. The common room was empty, burning and full of smoke. Fai began to cough immediately. Once more he called out for Tomoyo, and once more he got no response. He tried to go up the stairs, but the flames drove him back. He hesitated, then forced himself to leap through the first wall of fire, and then staggered up the remaining stairs. On the landing he headed towards the Tomoyo's room, but at that moment the ceiling started to give way and a couple of beams fell crashing to the floor. Fai tried to avoid them but tripped over and fell back down the stairs, landing heavily. His clothing was on fire, and he rolled over and over, trying to put it out. The heat was unbearable and he was starting to suffocate from the smoke. He shouted desperately for Tomoyo. Swaying dizzily he got to his feet again and stumbled to the window, knowing he had to get out or he would die. He practically fell out of the window, managing to avoid most of the broken glass as he did so. Fai took several quick gasps of fresh air, getting back on his feet again, but some soldiers had seen him and they came running towards him. They were shouting something, but he didn't understand what they were saying. He tried to run, but an overhanging eave collapsed above him, falling straight down on top of him. It bit into his shoulder and struck his head, knocking him unconscious.

* * *

><p>Kurogane sat in his tent, staring into space. The attack had gone well - they'd had the element of surprise, and the enemy had had very little time to prepare their defenses. It had been relatively easy to penetrate the city wall. What had followed was something he had not counted on. He couldn't believe they would do something so... There was really no words for it. Kurogane clenched his fists and took a long, deep breath. It would take a long time before the city would be a city again, but on the positive side, this was a strong blow against Seishiro Barca. There would be no more reinforcements arriving from Tenga.<p>

"Sir."

Kurogane turned to the tribune who had just entered his tent. "What is it?"

"The city has been secured, sir. Most of the fires are out and the 2nd Legion is working on the rest. Also, sir, we found an escaped slave. What are your orders?"

"City secured, good. Why do you need orders for an escaped slave? Take him or her back to their master."

"Well, yes sir, but he's not from around here, sir. We... well, we really don't know where he's from."

"Did you ask him?"

"Yes sir. He wouldn't say."

Kurogane glared at him closely, wondering if the man had gone mad to bother him with something as trivial as this. But this tribune (Gaius Ferrus, he believed the man's name was) had always been fairly reliable. Kurogane had thought he was one of the few men in the entire army who actually had a brain worth using (Not that Kurogane wanted too many of those, Gods, there'd be mutinies everywhere). But if he thought that Kurogane should be apprised of this slave, maybe there was something in it after all. What a pain.

"Oh for... Never mind. Alright, I'll have a look at him. Where is he?"

"Thank you sir. He's in my tent, sir." At Kurogane's quizzical look, he added, "Under guard, of course, sir."

The tent was on another side of the camp, and the walk there was completed in silence. When they arrived, the legionary guarding the entrance saluted and stepped aside for them. Inside there was another legionary, and a man kneeling on the ground, his hands tied behind his back. Kurogane supposed this must be the escaped slave, and took a good look at him. There was certainly plenty to look at.

He was young, about mid twenties, Kurogane judged. His clothes were burnt and torn, probably from the fire, but the smudged ash and dirt could not hide the pure white, milky skin beneath. Fine, golden strands of hair fell over his downturned face, hiding his eyes. He was slender, and his hands were as smooth as a noble lady's. This in itself was unusual for a slave, and Kurogane examined his clothes more closely, noting the delicate embroidery and good quality fabric.

"What's your name?"

The young man didn't respond. Kurogane glanced back at the tribune, who shrugged. The general knelt in front of the stranger and took the pale chin in one hand, turning the face up to look at him. Ice blue eyes glared back at him defiantly.

"What is your name?"

Still silence. Kurogane released his chin and took a knife from his pocket, moving around to cut the ropes binding the prisoner's wrists. He lifted each one in turn, examining the soft hands and forearms. Apart from a few minor burns, they were unmarked. Kurogane again turned back sharply to the tribune, who immediately preempted the question hovering on the tip of his tongue.

"It's on his right shoulder, sir."

Kurogane placed his hand on the young man's shoulder, watching him carefully for any sign of a reaction. There was none. He made no movement except for the calm rise and fall of his chest. Kurogane pulled back the ripped material to reveal a nasty cut, most likely inflicted by falling debris. It did not look like it had been caused by metal. He brushed aside more torn clothing to bare more of the shoulder, and the young man gave an involuntary flinch as he accidentally touched the damaged skin. More carefully this time, Kurogane found what he was looking for; an old, burned, scarred round mark. A slave's mark.

Kurogane pulled away and stood up, looking down at the slave. "Where do you come from? Who is your master?"

This time, he got a response. The young man slowly raised his head, and fixed Kurogane with a fierce glare. When he spoke, his voice seemed to be laced with poison.

"I wouldn't tell anything to the kind of bastard who'd burn children alive inside their own homes."

Kurogane felt his anger rising, and he glared right back. The other two men in the tent took a step backwards. Kurogane's wrath was a thing to fear.

"Listen up, you! First of all, I would never dishonour my family by such a cowardly act. It was those gods-damned barbarians who fired the city. Secondly, you're damn lucky to be alive right now, so be thankful I don't have you executed for your insults. Now, since you won't tell us where you're from, you can make yourself useful and help the cooks."

He turned away in disgust and motioned to the legionary still standing guard. "Take him to the kitchens."

The legionary saluted and obediently bent to grab the slave's arm and haul him to his feet. As he dragged the young man out of the tent, Kurogane remembered something, and he called after them;

"But before that, take him to the infirmary."

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading. Please leave a review. :)<strong>


	3. Aftermath

Kurogane spent most of the next day sorting out the mess left from the fire. He found it hard to believe that the enemy soldiers would rather burn down their own city, along with all its citizens, than concede defeat. Very few houses were livable, and provision had to be made for those citizens who had survived. That percentage was about half, and Kurogane was aware it could have been much worse if the city hadn't happened to lie next to the ocean. As it happened, there had been plenty of water nearby to put out the fires. As evening drew closer, he retired, vaguely exhausted, to his tent, where he started to compose a letter to Sakura. His adopted daughter insisted on hearing from him after every battle, and although he hated writing letters, he knew how much she would worry if he didn't.

A servant brought him the evening meal. Kurogane ate it without really noticing; army food was all the same. His eyes and attention were focussed on the letter as he chewed his way through the meal - until he bit into something strange.

It was soft and sweet. Very sweet, in fact. Kurogane had never been a fan of sweet things; his mother had always told him they were bad for his teeth. Where the hell had it come from? The cooks had never made anything like this before. Possibly they had found it in the city, but why had it been brought to him? Kurogane was pretty sure he'd made it perfectly clear to the kitchen staff what his position was with regards to such sweet, rubbishy stuff. Kurogane considered just throwing it away and chewing out the person responsible later, but curiosity overwhelmed him, (not to mention the thought of postponing his letter) and he got up and made his way to the kitchen tents.

He was greeted by cheers from his men, all of whom were still in the euphoric stage of victory. He exchanged a few words with them before seeking out Toya, who was eventually discovered seated on one of the benches, in the middle of his dinner. He looked up when Kurogane tapped him on the shoulder, and shifted over to make room for him.

"Good evening, general, sir." He said, half cheerful, half mocking. "What brings you out into the midst of all us common folk this evening?"

"Shut it, Toya," Kurogane humphed as he sat down beside his friend. "and explain to me the meaning of this."

Toya followed his accusing finger to the plate of food, and blinked in confusion. "Um... it's food. You know, that thing you have to eat, otherwise you'll collapse from hunger?"

"_This_ is food." Kurogane pointed to one part of the plate. "This isn't." He indicated another.

Toya examined the designated item carefully, picked it up and tasted it. Then he grinned. "This is delicious! Where'd this come from? I don't think I've ever tasted something so good in the mess." Then his grin turned a little malicious. "Oh, but you don't like sweet things, do you?"

"Damn right I don't. Where'd it come from?"

"From Gadir?"

"Then why the hell was it sent to me? I think I've made my preferences perfectly clear when it comes to sweet food."

Toya shrugged. "Why don't you go and ask them?"

"I intend to." Kurogane got to his feet and stomped off towards the kitchens. At the doorway one of the cooks spotted him and immediately saluted, a soup ladle clutched in one hand.

"General, sir. Can I help you, sir?"

"I want to know," said Kurogane grimly, "who it was who gave me this sweet rubbish with my meal."

The cook gulped audibly. And pointed to a corner of the kitchen. "That would be him, sir."

Kurogane looked over where the man was pointing. Several cooks were gathered around one, who seemed to be making something on the bench. As Kurogane approached, he could hear instructions being given out.

"..and now you knead it for ten minutes. If you don't, it won't rise enough and it'll be all stodgy."

"Oi." Kurogane interrupted abruptly.

They all turned and saluted him, except for the one in their midst, who remained with his back towards Kurogane.

"Which of you decided it would be a good idea to give me sweet crap with my meal?"

The cooks all stepped aside hastily to reveal the man behind them, who slowly turned around. Kurogane was taken aback by the wide, dazzling smile on his face, and for a moment he didn't recognise the runaway slave from the night before.

"You didn't like it?" He cried, exaggerated dismay on his face, "I am so under-appreciated! I cannot understand how a man with such bad taste came to be a general."

"What the hell? No one could like that sickly stuff."

"I think you'll find, general, that actually most of your men liked it." He replied with a teasing smile. "It's just you who have such barbaric traits."

"It's not barbaric." Kurogane defended indignantly. He could not believe this was the same person from last night. What had happened to the silent defiance; the deeply burning anger, and the cold, steel eyes? This young man looked as if he could be the offspring of Venus and Liber.* That was a thought. Kurogane narrowed his eyes. Perhaps the kid was drunk.

"...they warned me, they told me how it was. I didn't believe it, I didn't think anyone could be so uncultured. Now I see how wrong I was. It's shameful, that's what it is, shameful!"

Crocodile tears were beginning to form at the corners of his eyes, and Kurogane wondered just how much he had had to drink.

"Okay, who gave him wine?"

The other cooks all shook their heads frantically, dreading the imminent explosion. The young man mock-glared at him.

"Don't try to blame this on alcohol, mister. I can tell you I haven't had a drop!"

Kurogane snorted. "I'll be the judge of that." He reached forward and grabbed the man by the front of his tunic, pulling him forwards and leaning over to smell his breath. He was rather surprised to detect no alcohol at all, and as he released his grip he caught a glimpse of startled blue eyes as the yet-nameless stranger staggered back from him. Well, if he really hadn't been drinking, then there was only one logical conclusion: the man was obviously mad. Stark raving mad, even. His master must have been pleased to be rid of him. Kurogane supposed it wouldn't really be fair to exact vengeance on someone who didn't have proper use of his faculties. Hmph.

"Don't do it again."

"W-what?" The young man stared at him, confused.

"The sweet stuff. Don't do it again."

Pleased to have had the last word, Kurogane stalked out of the kitchen, leaving most of the cooks wondering how on earth their new comrade had just survived what should have been an instant death situation.

Kurogane didn't have much time in the next few days for pondering the mystery of his new cook. There were too many jobs to be done, too many people to direct here, there and everywhere. He had to write a report of his victory to the Senate and send it with a messenger, along with his letter to Sakura. He had to make sure that the army was resupplied, their weapons and armour repaired. He had to do it all at speed, since he could not leave his army here to winter. They had to move out before it became too cold to travel. But before that, he had to make sure that temporary houses were built for all the surviving citizens of Gadir, so that they had somewhere to live while they rebuilt their city. He noticed the strange young man helping with the construction one day, and realised that he still didn't know his name. He was chatting happily with some of the other legionaries, and Kurogane was tempted to go over and join the conversation. But then one of them looked up, and the legionaries all sprang to attention. The too-defiant-for-his-own-good slave just gave him a twisted, mocking smile, and Kurogane turned away, his mood ruined.

Two days later Kurogane was out in one of the big fields outside the town. He was discussing with the new town council which section should be designated for the burial of the fallen citizens, who were laid out in row upon row on the grass. The field was starting to reek of rotting flesh, and Kurogane wanted to have the graves dug as soon as possible. If it had been up to him, he would have burnt them all. It seemed to him an honourable way for one's body to be returned to the earth, but Gadir's council had refused to treat their citizens the same way as they had disposed of Seishiro's guards, insisting instead on a noble funeral. Kurogane couldn't see anything particularly noble about being left to rot out on a field, but apparently it was so that the survivors could find loved ones and say a final farewell. He privately thought the smell would be enough to keep anyone away.

He was proven wrong though, for when, having finished his meeting, he turned back toward the city, he caught a flash of blond hair out of the corner of his eye. He looked more closely, and sure enough, it was the run-away slave. He was moving down the rows of corpses, examining them all one by one, and each time he passed one he seemed to sigh in relief. Kurogane approached him curiously.

"Are you looking for someone?"

The blond evidently hadn't heard him come up, for he started and spun around. The bright smile was back in a second though, and he laughed and shook his head.

"Of course not, silly. I don't know anyone here! How could I be looking for people I don't know?"

The answer seemed reasonable enough, but Kurogane had the distinct feeling he was lying. "What are you doing then?"

"I'm paying my respects to the dead." His tone implied that this was obvious and Kurogane was a moron even to have asked. "Isn't that what you usually to at a graveyard, even if it hasn't been dug yet?"

Deciding it wasn't worth debating over whether or not the man was looking for someone, Kurogane shrugged and turned away. The blond made to move to the next corpse, but stopped when Kurogane called after him.

"What's your name?"

He hesitated for a moment, an odd, thoughtful look flitting over his features, before he replied.

"Fai. My name is Fai."

* * *

><p>The weather in Hispania was very pleasant, Fai decided. The sun was warm, but not so hot that it burned your skin, parched your throat and dried your body to a crisp. It did not fry the land, didn't turn everything to sand and leave nothing but the hard white bones of forgotten creatures. And there was water. Everywhere. A million lakes, ponds, streams, brooks, creeks, springs and rivers, all with clean, fresh water. Sometimes the sky would open up and rain would pour down for hours on end. Such things would have been miracles in Africa - here everyone just grumbled about it. The other cooks stared at him as if he was crazy when he danced around outside, the first time it rained. Fai couldn't understand it. It was Autumn, they told him, it normally rains in Autumn. Winter was coming, it would be cold and everything would freeze. The ground would be covered in a foot of snow. Again Fai was confused. At home (Laima* forbid he think of home, not that Laima had ever smiled on him), at home it barely stopped snowing, even in summer. A foot of snow was nothing.<p>

After about a week, Fai realised with a jolt how much time had passed. He had been enjoying his time with the army, cooking, generally helping out and just talking. Nobody really seemed to care that he was branded a slave, and a runaway at that, except perhaps for some of the centurions or tribunes. Fai supposed it was war that did that to you. He found it a pleasant change.

But staying was out of the question, because it was an army, and sooner or later it would go into battle, and Fai really didn't want to get involved with that. He didn't think he could stand seeing all that.. blood. He had to get out of Hispania and into Italia, then preferably to Greece. Compared to King Syphax, General Kurogane would be easy to escape from. Fai did feel a little guilty, since after all the man was allowing him a remarkable amount of freedom, but he figured it would be best to just take the whole matter into his own hands and get out of the general's hair.

And he was desperately worried about Tomoyo. He'd managed to search the whole town (or what was left of it) and even made a few discrete enquires, but had come up with nothing. He had debated asking the general for help, but decided that would cause more harm than good. If Tomoyo had escaped, he didn't want the army looking for another escaped slave. He would much rather she got away scot free, to start her own life anew.

Fai blamed himself a thousand times for leaving the girl, alone and frightened, perhaps to be murdered by heartless soldiers. He had gone through the entire field of bodies, all laid out for burial, looked at every face, but hadn't found her. He hadn't found Juana either, which led him to hope that they might have escaped after all. He hoped they met again - Tomoyo had been like a little sister to him, his only friend in the hostile world they'd both been thrown into. But then, no use in crying over spilt milk. Wherever Tomoyo was, he couldn't help her now.

So he planned his escape. He packed some food, crushing his guilt by cooking the entire camp the best dessert he could think of. This took pretty much the whole day, but all he needed to do was discover the sentry times for the evening. The information was happily volunteered by some cheerful legionary, a young man called Syaoran with whom Fai spoken several times, and whom Fai had become quite fond of - the boy was eager to please and paid a ridiculous amount of respect to everyone. Fai couldn't bring himself to leave, however, without saying a 'farewell' to the general.

Kurogane was exactly where Fai had expected him to be at this time in the evening - sitting in his tent, struggling with some letter or other. Curses came from inside the tent as he approached, and Fai hesitated, wondering if this was a bad idea. Kurogane must have heard him though, because he called out;

"Whoever you are, come in already! Don't just stand out there."

Fai shrugged and poked his head through the tent flap. "Evening, general, sir."

Kurogane grunted in acknowledgement. "What do you want?"

"What are you doing, general, sir?" Fai lent over his shoulder to peer at the letter on the desk.

"Official thi... why do you keep calling me that?"

"Calling you what, general, sir?"

"That!" Kurogane pointed accusingly. "General, sir. It's ridiculous!"

Fai gently pushed his finger aside. "It's rude to point, general, sir. And that's what all your men call you."

"Coming from you, it sounds ridiculous." Kurogane retorted. "Don't call me that."

"Well what am I to call you then?"

"Anything. How about my name." was the sarcastic response. "That's usually what they're for."

"Hmmm." Fai thought about it for a few moments. "How about Kuriola?"

"What!" Kurogane exploded. "That is not my name!"

"But you said I could call you anything..." Fai grinned.

Kurogane scowled. "Anything but that."

Fai laughed and slipped around him, nicking the letter as he passed. "Who's your Greek friend, Kuro-general?"

"I don't know. And stop making up weird names!"

"You don't know?"

"I don't speak Greek."

A smile hovered teasingly on the edge of Fai's lips as he tried to keep his face straight. "You can't speak Greek."

"Stop repeating everything I say!" Kurogane huffed, trying unsuccessfully to hide his embarrassment.

"Yes, but... What kind of education did you get, Kuro-general, if you don't even know the language of all cultured beings?"

"Like you can read it either."

"Oh, but I can." Fai announced smugly, holding the letter up to his face and pretending to concentrate on the words. "Dearest Kuriola..." He coughed importantly and continued, "Your manly exploits have met with great renown in... Hey!"

Kurogane snatched the letter away from him. "Give me that, you liar. Did you actually want something, or did you just come here to annoy me?"

Fai's smile was different this time, and Kurogane sharpened his eyes and pricked up his ears as he recognised a hint of sadness in those bright blue eyes.

He was a little hesitant to speak, but Kurogane was too young, and not experienced enough to realise that he was hurriedly trying to come up with a plausible lie.

"I... was wondering what your plans are - for me I mean. You'll have to leave soon - will you leave me in Gadir?"

Kurogane could sympathise with the desire to know what would become of him, but honestly hadn't come up with a solution to this particular problem yet. It would be cruel - even inconceivable - to give the young man back to the slave markets (for Kurogane hated slavers), but he could get in serious trouble if he didn't follow the proper protocol when it came to runaway slaves. He tried to think of something that would reassure Fai.

"I'm not sure yet." He debated asking Fai for the name of his master again, and discarded it. He doubted the man was someone pleasant, or Fai wouldn't be here. "Don't worry about it though," he added gruffly. "I'll think of something."

"Thank you general." Fai was out of the tent in a heartbeat, and Kurogane was too busy feeling thankful that Fai hadn't pushed the matter, to realise he'd been brushed off. But a few seconds later, Fai poked his head back through the tent flap again.

"By the way, that letter is from a nobleman in Greece who is interested in buying some objects from your father's art collection."

He was gone again before Kurogane could reply.

* * *

><p><strong>*Venus is the Roman goddess of love, and Liber is the Roman god of wine and merrymaking.<strong>

*** Laima is the goddess of fate and luck in Latvian and Lithuanian mythology.**


	4. Escape

**Warning: Ashura is not particularly nice in this chapter.**

* * *

><p>Ashura was not impressed to discover the absence of his favourite slave. This was a considerable understatement, but Ashura had never been one for dramatic displays. He preferred to inspire terror from something so simple as silence. The ability to reduce a lower being to a shivering mess of fear with just a cold smile was something Ashura prided himself on. It was an art that took years of perfecting, along with many examples of punishment. Ashura had overseen each one himself, always taking care to exhibit that same icy countenance. And now he was rewarded with the utmost obedience and respect of each and every one of his men, soldiers or otherwise. The mere thought of him gave them pause. And now, to discover this had been used against him, that a slave had dared to call down the threat of his, Ashura's, presence, in order to facilitate his escape, was disturbing. King Syphax would have to take care that this never happened again, and that his men knew exactly what he thought of people who used his name without permission.<p>

In the first heat of his fury, he had had his Greek guests, Lord and Lady Phylamon, executed. Their heads were impaled on spikes at the entrance to the palace, a gruesome reminder to all inhabitants of the master's temper. The soldiers didn't seem bothered by them, but Ashura gained much amusement from watching how the maids shied away from the spectacle, averting their eyes from the dried blood that covered the spikes, caked finely combed but dirty hair and stained white, cultured skin. At first the eyes had stared forth, wide and terrified, but after a week the vultures had torn away the eyeballs and only the empty sockets were left, black holes in ruined faces.

Ashura spent the time waiting for the return of his riders by inventing different methods of torture. He planned to test them all on Fai, and watched the horsemen ride back through the gates with vicious glee. But his good mood turned to fury in a moment, when he discovered that his riders had been unable to find a single trace of the missing slave. For a minute Ashura's temper threatened to explode, and his men cowered in terror, but King Syphax was not going to lose control of himself over the loss of one slave. And when he forced himself to think rationally, the solution was obvious. Sending the riders to Tunes was idiocy - of course Fai would never have told the guard where he was going. Tunes had made sense, because Fai would be aiming for Germania, but Tunes wasn't the only port for crossing the Mesogeian Sea. Fai had the girl with him, too. He wouldn't have risked her safety. The most probable place he would have gone was Tenga. With the riders sent to Tunes, he would have plenty of time to cross into Hispania unhindered. And Fai most likely had no idea there was a war going on. He could be dead already, caught up in the fighting between the Senate and Seishiro Barca. There was no point in sending the riders there. Ashura had other things to think about.

For both the Senate and Seishiro were becoming more insistent. King Syphax and the Masaesyli had a treaty with the Senate, but Ashura was growing tired of their constant demands for troops and supplies. Seishiro Barca was also offering his hand in friendship, but choosing one meant fighting the other, and no doubt Seishiro would also want more physical tokens of the treaty. Seishiro was already allied with others in the area, most notably the Numidian Prince Massinissa, who had been a constant rival to Ashura for many years. Should the Senate prevail against Seishiro, it would be the perfect moment to be rid of the Numidian prince for good, but at the moment the tide was rolling the other way. Ashura would have to consider his options more thoroughly. A missing slave was not so important that it could not wait for a while.

* * *

><p>Fai did not linger outside Kurogane's tent. It was harder to pull himself away than it should have been, especially after all of his experiences to date, but Fai hadn't gotten caught last time, and he didn't intend to be this time either. He collected his modest belongings from the now empty kitchen tent and checked that the coast was clear before emerging again. Fai stayed close to the tents, hidden by the shadows, as he made his way towards the outer ring of the camp. Night had fallen nearly an hour ago, and the sky was clouded over. Neither moonlight or starlight shone down to give him away as he waited barely thirty feet from the outer, and only, sentry ring, hidden behind a tree. The guard was relaxing by a fire, but as Fai expected he soon rose to return to camp, seeing his replacement walking towards him. They halted to exchange words somewhere between Fai and the camp, leaving him with a clear passage to freedom. He took it, taking care to keep out of the firelight. The leaves beneath his feet rustled little, but no twigs snapped, and the guards were too busy talking to pay him any mind. Why should they be wary? There had been no sign of enemy activity in the area. No one was suspecting anything.<p>

Fai continued to walk quietly until he could no longer see the fires behind him. The area was lightly forested, and had the skies been clear the moonlight would have easily penetrated the treetops and shown Fai where he was going. As it was, he had to be very careful not to walk into any trees, and more than once he snagged his clothing on various bushes. There was no light, and no shadows - everything was simply black. Eventually he stumbled out of the trees onto what appeared to be a road. It was about twenty feet wide and seemed to be made of packed dirt. Fai debated whether to thank Laima* or Cela Mate* for this good fortune, and ended up thanking both. The firelights behind him had long since dwindled into nothingness, but Fai wanted to make sure there was plenty of distance between him and the army camp. He wouldn't put it past General Kurogane to come after him, just because it was his duty to see a runaway slave returned to his master. Fai looked back the way he'd come, wondering if anyone had noticed he'd gone, wondering what had happened to Tomoyo, wondering what Kurogane was doing, if he'd managed to translate that letter... He turned away. Now was not the time for looking back.

Fai started to run, up the road, away from Gadir and General Kurogane. At first it was a slow jog, but he gradually got faster and faster until he was sprinting along, his bag slapping against his back. He was breathing quickly, desperately sucking in enough air to supply his burning lungs. Fai hadn't run in a long, long time. Where was there to run, in Africa? It was so hard to run in sand. But then it was hard to run in snow as well. Eventually he just collapsed on the roadside, heaving and gasping. He lay there for several minutes, regaining enough strength to stand up. When he did manage to force himself to his feet, he almost fell again as his head spun wildly and his knees threatened to give out. Fai staggered off the road and into the brush beside it. The night air was mild and Fai's limbs were burning with the heat of so much exertion, and he curled up in the midst of the bushes and fell asleep.

He awoke to the chatter of concerned voices, the sun dancing over his face and tired eyes. When he tried to open them, he found the light so dazzling that he instictively curled up, hiding his face from the sun. The voices above him seemed to grow instantly in enthusiasm, and he felt a hand on his forehead which was swiftly withdrawn. The voices became more comprehensible, and he caught a little of what they were saying.

"...doesn't seem to have a fever..."

"Poor child, I wonder how long..."

"...this dreadful war..."

It was the last that reminded him of who he was, and what he was doing here. Fai forced himself to concentrate, and ignore the headache that was threatening to split his head in two. He was in the middle of Hispania, having just survived from one army and on the run from the other. He needed to get to Greece. The voices seemed to be female, which would indicate that, for the moment at least, Kurogane's army had not caught up to him. He was dressed in dirty servant's garb, had no money, only food. Now, what kind of story to spin?

Fai raised his head slowly and carefully opened his eyes. The world spun for a moment and then came back into focus to reveal the people kneeling beside him on the grass. They were three young women, obviously native Hispanics from their dark hair, sun-browned skin and traditional dresses. One of them, a girl in her twenties with soft brown eyes, leaned forward and spoke to him in a gentle voice.

"How do you feel?"

"A little the worse for wear." Fai told her with a wry smile.

"What happened?" Asked another girl quickly, dark eyes sparkling more with curiosity than concern.

"I.. was attacked." Fai told them, too used to lying to feel any guilt. "A man set on me yesterday evening - he took my money and swapped his clothes for mine."

"Oh, how terrible!" cried the first girl.

"Who was he?" asked the second.

"I don't know," Fai answered. "maybe a deserter from the army, or a runaway slave, based on his clothes." He gestured to the garments he was wearing.

The third girl surveyed him a little doubtfully. She had green eyes and a pointed chin, and the look on her face was skeptical.

"What are you doing here anyway? Are you a spy?"

The first girl exclaimed at her rudeness. "Adela! Why must you say such things?"

Adela scowled at her. "He's obviously not from around here, Cristi. Look at his skin." She turned back to Fai. "What would a foreigner be doing in Hispania, in the middle of a war, if not with an army? You don't look like a soldier to me, so are you a spy?"

Fai smiled charmingly at her. "It's a long story. But I assure you, I'm not a spy."

Just then they heard the sound of wagon wheels coming up the road towards them. One of the girls - Cristi, Fai remembered - got up and walked to the roadside.

"Hey, Nydia - it's Felix!"

The second girl, whose name Fai did not know but now assumed was Nydia, also got to her feet, blushing.

"Cristi, shhh! Keep your voice down - he'll hear you."

Adela stood up and offered her hand to Fai, who took it cautiously. She noticed this and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry if I was rude. My father always tells me I need to think before I speak."

Fai returned her smile reassuringly. "No offense taken, miss."

"Felix will give us a ride back into town. You can tell us your story on the way."

She went to join the other two by the roadside and Fai followed her. Coming towards them he saw two large horses pulling an open cart, driven by a handsome young man with dark hair. He called a greeting to them and reined in his horses as they drew level with the group standing by the road.

"Good morning, ladies." He flashed a wink at Nydia and she blushed, not responding with the other two as they chorused a good morning.

"Who's the stranger?"

"We found him in the bushes." said Cristi. "He's been attacked and robbed by a runaway slave."

Felix was instantly sympathetic. "Oh, that's too bad, my friend. Where were you headed, anyway?"

"If you'd drive us to town, Felix," interjected Adela, 'he could tell us on the way."

"Sounds good to me." said Felix. "Hop up in the cart then. There's plenty of room."

He extended his hand to Fai. "My name's Felix."

"And mine is Fai."

They shook hands and Fai jumped up into the cart where the girls were already settled amongst various wooden crates containing vegetables, eggs and other produce.

"So," said Adela, once they had completed introductions. "Tell."

Fai hesitated for a moment, wondering what to say, and then remembered Tomoyo.

"I come from Greece. I'm a court musician at Athens, and that's where I was heading back to."

"From Athens?" Nydia repeated. "That's a very long way away."

"You do look Greek." stated Adela, looking a little relieved. Fai wondered where she had imagined him originating.

"What are you doing out here?" asked Cristi.

"I came to meet my little sister." Fai said. He knew exactly how to hesitate at the right moment, the right facial expressions - everything that made a lie believable. "She married a philosopher about three years ago. He was always traveling everywhere, and she enjoyed seeing new places. But last year he decided to travel into Africa. I don't know the full story - I only know what she wrote to me - but I think he got into some trouble with the tribes there. They... well... suffice to say that he didn't make it out of Africa again. Fortunately my little sister did, and she asked me to meet her in Gadir and take her back home to Athens. The poor girl was very upset when I got there, and wanted to leave at once. I think she was afraid the tribes would come after her. But as we were leaving, Gadir was attacked - I'm sure you've heard all about the siege - and we got separated. I've been trying to find her ever since, but now that all my money's been stolen, I don't know how I'll ever find her and get home."

The three girls were evidently profoundly affected by his story. Adela and Nydia were staring wide eyed, and Cristi looked horrified.

"But that's awful!" she cried. "Your poor sister! She must be wandering around all by herself."

"I know." Fai agreed. "That's why I have to find her. You don't know of any one who might have seen her? She's about 20 years old, medium height and has long black hair. Her name is Tomoyo. She would be looking for me."

Cristi shook her head. "No, I'm sorry, I haven't heard anything of her. Maybe someone in the town has."

They fell silent for a while as the cart rolled and jolted its way through the countryside. The ground was flat and the horses did not have to work very hard, so they were traveling along at a reasonable pace. After a while Felix piped up from the driver's seat.

"You know, there are plenty of trading caravans heading into Gaul and even Italia. They often pass through here, and I'm sure you'd be able to get a ride with them very cheaply. Perhaps if you stayed in town for a little while... I'm sure that if you did some work for him, my father would be happy to give you the money for the trip in exchange."

"And in the meantime," added Nydia, "we'll help you look for your sister."

"Thank you." replied Fai gratefully, "That's very kind of you."

"Don't you worry about it." Cristi told him cheerfully. "We'll look after you."

The rest of the journey was spent in telling him about themselves, and the town they were heading to. Fai discovered that Felix worked for his father, who ran a small farm. Felix would transport the produce to nearby villages where he would sell it and buy anything that his father required. Cristi's father was a carpenter, and her mother an amateur milliner. All the townswomen came to her for their hats. Cristi herself would soon be married to a young man from a neighbouring town that belonged to another tribe. She had not met him yet, and was understandably nervous about the whole situation. Adela was also engaged; although Fai had not discovered to whom. She seemed to hold her fiance in high dislike, but Cristi was of the opinion that it was a love/hate relationship. Nydia was not betrothed, but her father, one of the town's elders, was 'looking at some promising young men in a nearby town'. Fai found this a little sad, given her and Felix' obvious attraction to each other.

About an hour passed in this fashion, and soon enough the horses pulled them over a slight rise in ground to see the town spread out in front of them. It wasn't as impressive as Gadir; there were no shining white walls and towers, but somehow it seemed much friendlier. It had evidently been a small village once, but the small market place was no longer large enough for the houses that sprawled outwards from it, and new stalls had popped up willy nilly throughout the town. It was a lively place, and people filled the streets. There were children playing games with wooden toys, housewives going about their daily shopping, merchants trading, selling and buying, and men with horses and wagons driving them this way and that. The town, Fai discovered, was the headquarters of one of Hispania's major tribes, and there was an army quartered nearby.

Felix drove his cart to the door of a large house on the north side of the town. He jumped down from the driver's seat and went to the horses' head as Fai and the girls clambered down from the cart. Another young man came out of the house, whom Felix casually introduced as his younger brother Miguel. Together they unhitched the horses and Miguel led them behind the house, presumably to a stable. Felix beckoned them towards the house.

"Never mind the goods now. I'll unload them later. Come and meet my father."

They went inside the large wooden house. It was new, Fai noticed, and the planks were a little roughly cut. There was no carpet, but the proportions of the rooms were generous and the roof was high. The doors were made of oakwood at least two hands thick, and the floor was stone. The hallway was lit by lanterns, and they passed into a large room provided with some light from two windows on the southern wall. The room was still dim even though there was another lantern in the corner. There was a long wooden table in the centre of the room, with benches on either side. An older man rose from one, tall and well built. His hair looked dark while he was in the shadows, but as he came into the light towards them Fai saw that grey hairs were beginning to take precedence. The man nodded in greeting.

"Hello Felix, girls. Who's this you have with you?"

The three girls immediately burst into an emotional and incoherent babble, each with her own embellished tale of Fai's misfortunes. He silenced them after a few minutes, declaring that he couldn't understand a word, and that Felix would better tell him what was going on. Felix took the opportunity to make introductions.

"Fai, this is my father, Bernardo Ortiz. Father, this is Fai. He's trying to make his way back to Greece with his sister, but they got separated and he was robbed of all his money. I thought you might have some work for him, so that he could buy passage with the trade caravans."

"I see." Bernardo looked Fai over appraisingly. "What is your trade in Greece, Fai?"

Fai smiled. "I'm a musician. I play the Kithara."

Bernardo laughed. "I'm afraid I don't have any work of that kind for you. How are you with horses?"

"I like horses." he replied. "Please, Mr Ortiz, I'm willing to do any work if it means getting my sister home."

"Well now," the older man said warmly. "I'm sure I can find something for you to do in the stables. There's a caravan that'll be here in just over a week, so hopefully you can find your sister again before then."

* * *

><p>At that point in time, several miles north-east, Tomoyo was sitting on the edge of a wagon, swinging her bare feet happily as the vehicle trundled its way over bumps and pot holes down a country lane. The sun sparkled down on her and twisting breezes swirled in the dirt road, coating her toes with dry dust. Eventually the road came to a fork, and the wagon driver pulled his horses to a halt. Tomoyo slipped gracefully from her perch and came around to the front of the wagon. The driver gave her curt but careful instructions, jerking his thumb towards one path of the fork. She thanked him and offered him a coin from her pocket which he refused, wishing her good luck before heading off in the opposite direction. Tomoyo waved after him, and settled down on the grassy verge to wait, a cloth bundle beside her. Before long another wagon rolled into view, and she got to her feet. The wagon stopped beside her and the driver turned to speak to her, shading his eyes from the sun.<p>

"Morning there, little miss."

"Good morning, sir."

"Would you be wanting a ride, then?"

"If that's no trouble, sir."

"Where are you headed?"

"Akra Leuka."

The wagon driver raised his eyebrows at her. "That's at least a week's travel - by cart at any rate. What call has a young lady like yourself to be wandering around the country alone? And in these times?"

Tomoyo smiled sweetly. "The times are the call, sir. I lost my mother during the siege at Gadir, and I'm hoping to find my father in Akra Leuka. He works there, you see."

"Ahh." The driver clucked his tongue in gruff sympathy. "I can't take you all the way, but I'll drop you half way to Kartuba, and there'll be someone along that road to take you the rest of the way."

"Thank you! You're very kind, sir."

Tomoyo climbed carefully onto the back of the cart, and it started off again, trundling over the bumpy dirt road. She set her belongings beside her, in front of the barrels that already occupied the wagon. She hoped that Fai was alright. She had all their money - and everything else they'd brought from the palace. But he'd always been good at surviving.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, Tomoyo leaned back against the barrels and closed her eyes. Images of smoke and burning buildings ran through her tired mind. She still found it difficult to believe that she'd actually escaped from that nightmare. It had been terrifying; even more so because for a moment, when the burning torch had smashed through the window and the people around her began to scream, she had been utterly alone. There was no Fai to come to her aid, no master to tell her what to do. But then Juana was beside her, and she'd guided Tomoyo upstairs. They ran down the hallway to the other side of the upper story, closely followed by the other people from downstairs. Tomoyo had seen one dart into one of the bedrooms and emerge carrying a bag of possessions, and had managed to do the same, unwilling to lose the only things she had left in the world. Juana led them to a small door at the far end of the corridor where the group waited anxiously as she opened it slowly and cautiously peered through. Then they were hurrying down a dark, narrow set of stairs, at the end of which was another small door. Again Madam Juana checked that the coast was clear before leading them out into an alleyway. From there they had ducked and run and crawled their way to the southern wall where they found the docks. The waterfront was deserted, and it was easy to take one of the wooden rowing boats and paddle far enough up the coast till they were clear of the fighting.

Now Tomoyo was headed towards Akra Leuka, cheerfully confident that she would meet up with Fai along the way. Juana had made her memorise the route she was to take - overland to Akra Leuka, then by ship to Barcino, then Nikaia, Corsica and finally the Mother City herself. Fai had told her stories of these places; how many trading boats went in and out of Nikaia every day, how the people of Corsica loved to eat cheese that smelled like camel dung which had been in the sun for days.

The cart drove past a little blond boy who was watching his goats in the meadow. He waved to her, and she waved back, smiling happily. Tomoyo thought he looked a little like Fai. She remembered what Juana had said when she'd asked what had happened to Fai.

"_I don't know, honey. If he escaped the fighting, then he's probably trying to find you. The best idea is to carry on towards your home in Greece. The people of these parts are very friendly - if you stop one of the trade carts going your way they'll give you a ride."_

And they had. Tomoyo had gotten several rides from friendly cart drivers, who were always happy to recommend her to their mothers or wives when she needed a place to spend the night. In exchange she had offered her needlework skills, which had been eagerly accepted. Every house seemed to have a pile of clothes that needed mending. In this fashion she had travelled almost halfway to her first destination, and Tomoyo was feeling optimistic. She didn't know what would happen when she arrived at her destination - she didn't even know what her final destination was - but Fai would take care of it. He always did. He would have a plan to find her, and when he did, he would have a plan for where they were going to go. Maybe they would be able to find her family.

Tomoyo looked up at the blue sky and smiled.

_So this is freedom._

* * *

><p>In Italia, the Senate convenes at dawn in the temple of Bellona. The news is at once encouraging and disturbing, and rumours float from one man to another. The new consul, Marcellus, rises to his feet to make his address.<p>

"Senators, I have grave news. It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that our forces at Locri Epizephyri have been destroyed, by none other than the scourge of our people, Seishiro Barca."

It is news to no one and yet they act surprised; as if they have not all heard it hours before from their own, private sources. They whisper to each other in harried voices.

_It is all P-'s fault._

_This should have been foreseen._

_The man is inhuman._

_This must be stopped!_

Crispinus, the other consul, stands to face the agitated assembly. The doors to the sacred temple are closed; this is not a public gathering. There are no watching eyes here, no crowd to clamour at the information relayed. Soon enough they will have to calm the sea of rumours that swamp the Mother City, drowning everyone in an ocean of uncertainty. But it will be done. There will be no rebellion, no rioting, no dissent among the people. They have faith.

Crispinus starts to speak.

"I must also inform the Senate that a written report from our late consul's son in Hispania has been received. He tells us that his army has defeated the enemy, who were under the command of Hasdrubal Barca, at the Battle of Baecula."

Marcellus has seated himself again, and now he adds:

"This was not enough, however, to prevent Hasdrubal's march towards our country, with the intention of reinforcing his brother."

An old man speaks, his voice strong and dusted with contempt.

"If the boy cannot deal with his responsibility of protecting our country, perhaps he should be replaced by someone who can."

"Nonsense!" Now the speaker is a Gracchus in his Grecian toga. "Pursuing Hasdrubal would have been folly."

"The boy's got his father's head." Agrees another senator approvingly.

"And just look what happened to his father." Is the snappy retort.

"Now, now, Fathers." Crispinus says calmingly. "Surely no one here actually advocates removing Kurogane from his post. Replacing him now would be extremely difficult."

He waits for a reply, but there is none. The other Senators watch him expectantly, waiting for him to continue.

"The question now is, what are we to do about Hasdrubal?"

There is silence for a moment, and then a voice says:

"It will take him over a year to cross the Alps, since it will be impossible to travel in winter. Perhaps he will not make it."

"His brother has already made the crossing."

"This is true, and that self-same brother is now here on our soil, destroying our armies and capturing our cities. Surely he must be the bigger threat for now?"

"If Hasdrubal is able to unite his forces with Seishiro, we will not be able to drive them out."

"We will deal with Hasdrubal when and if he crosses the Rhone." Marcellus is not impressed by the threat, and does not hesitate to show it. "For now, it is Seishiro we must concentrate our forces on."

* * *

><p><em>*Laima: The goddess of luck, both good and bad.<em>

*_Cela Mata: "Mother of the Roads", the goddess of travelers._

**Thank you for reading :) Please review.**_  
><em>


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